spooky links

vagoct, originally uploaded by poppytalk.

the sky had a life of it's own last week when we drove by the vancouver art gallery. there was also something spooky going on inside, as all the windows were lit up like a lightning storm inside. a spooky mural by toy shop collective.
some ghost-like rehabilitated dishware by sarah cihat.
a nice spooky image i like and an abandoned farmhouse. happy halloween!

cupcake bliss

i think i need to get one of these fun little cupcake stands from wilton. a fun way to display your incredible cupcake creations and isn't it the perfect party accessory? just think of all the possibilities; halloween pumpkin cupcakes, birthday cupcakes, showers, weddings. this stand makes me very happy.

pb walls

i've always loved chalkboards and am always looking for a larger one for the wall behind my kitchen table, which is hard to come by. this one from pbteen is the closest so far. i'd love to paint a whole wall in my kitchen with some of that chalkboard paint but since we're renting it's not going to happen for a while. maybe a couple of these might feed my need.



and this pair of metal signs featuring icons of the open road are actually rather fun for a funky kitchen or something a little more offbeat. (from pbteen).

o espírito do natal

O espírito do natal, originally uploaded by Perlimpimpim.

you can't help but want to snuggle a little with this sweet little 'spirit of christmas' which caught my eye in flickr last night. perlimpimpim and her blog are full of crafty delights. i also really love her crocheted belt. i want one of those for sure. nice bags too! just lots of fun things from portugal.

a little sprout

i've been wanting one of these sunburst clocks for a while now and was quite surprised to learn yesterday from this show that they actually are from the art noveau period. who knew? i always thought they came from the 70's.



and i know it's autumn, but this robusto sofa would easily fit indoors in it's right environment. i remember when i got my first apartment, unable to furnish it completely, i bought some real funky lawn furniture for my living room. it made me feel like i was on vacation everytime i came home.



and these fly decals with chair are looking a little familiar. i saw them over at design sponge initially, but i prefer the blue maria!

all found at sprout home. too bad i can still just afford the lawn furniture.

angela adams rugs

i LOVE this room. the combination of old with new. the contrast of natural woods with white fabric chairs, the eclectic look oozes with style with this angela adams rug from design public. this lulu pool rug as it's named, invites you to just dive in.

as a decorative painter, angela translated her old painting patterns into textural rug landscapes using the process of hand tufting, using new zealand wool 100% cottons.

also check out the angela adams tile collection on design public's flickr account. she was in san francisco to help launch her new tile collection for ann sacks. the collection is based on some of her popular studio rug designs.

letterpress 101

i wish a place like this existed in vancouver hula and that you lived here so we could take this workshop together. or even better, buy one of these. if anyone knows if there is anything like this in vancouver, please leave a comment.




uppercase journal is a weblog from calgary with an attached online store selling cards like these beautiful letter-pressed cards i found via coudal.

there's also a gallery attached, with a monstrosity of a show on now fitting for the pumpkin crowd. i also enjoyed this previous show featuring the work of aaron leighton, of an alphabetical listing of canadian superheroes (from a canadian perspective of course).

don't you just LOVE letters?

links for inspiration

global graphica has an interesting photo of a wall at bloomingdale's soho. this is such a great idea for a wall treatment if you are short on funds and want something different yet artful. it's the ripped paper and the clear tacks.



and jo tyler has some nice collages to view. (via nebopeklo).



also some album cover art from the punk/new wave era or browse by artist.

recyclobile

elsewares, one of my favorite online stores is carrying this cool recyclobile. each one is a modern classic, handmade using recycled lamp materials, hand-stained fiberglass, and filament. love that idea.

sponged!

check out this countertop dispenser and many other products on my first bi-monthly post i will be doing at design sponge. i will be covering everything from kitchen design to my favorite new products in her "reader's voices series". thanks grace for the opportunity. i'm so thrilled!

lights up

i am loving this lights-up line now at design public. especially this weegee floor lamp. i love tripod style lamps and the base on this one isn't too heavy. their pendant lamps are also cool, and the oscar line... ok i love them all.

pumpkin time

right in time for pumpkin season this sweet little pumpkin casserole can be used for individual soups or as a fun seasonal countertop treat dish.



and what's halloween without a few screaming skulls, flaming jack-o-lanterns and tarantulas dancing about your screen? get it here (macs only). but have spooky wallpapers here from veer for both macs and pc's.



and some sort of strange vintage halloween collector. this lampshade is kind of spooky.

kitchen tool designs of the week

here are a few things that caught my eye this week in the kitchen department that i just have to share.

i love the feel of these hand blown space-age double-wall tumblers from bodum. made from scientific lab glass, they are insulated to keep your drinks hotter or cooler without being hot to touch on the outside. they also feel so nice to hold.



these rookie chopsticks from typhoon are made so easy to hold and learn for the little ones. they currently make them in black, red and grey.



also i love these little magnet salt and pepper grinders by chef'n. you squeeze the ears together to grind the spice and then just throw on the fridge when you're done.



and this julienne mandolin is such a great alternative to the larger versions.

hula wow seventy!

i am in awe. and this collage set by hulaseventy is why! go have a look! beautiful work!

link up

superfantastico - polaroid t-shirts

squidfinger - interesting polaroids

reprodepot fabrics - out of a love for vintage textiles. also offers ribbons, buttons, clothing and gifts with similar themes.

spider cupcakes - from notmartha

all links found through claudiadavilla, graphic designer of lark's website and branding.

lark 8th ave

i had the pleasure of visiting a fun and happening store this weekend here in vancouver just off main street on east 8th avenue. lark 8th avenue is this fresh fashion space exuding hip. so so cool to have a store like this in one's backyard, i can't believe it's taken me so long to get here. i've read so much about the place, n and i just had to take the hike down. and i wasn't disappointed. i was so involved with being there i totally missed the most gracious owner's name. but he was the most unaffected individual who was just genuinely interested in one being there. so refreshing! here's a few of the highlights:


i saw this beautiful coat by local designer sinbi



and this flattering dress by another local designer, dace



featuring t-shirts from twice-shy - also diggin' the chocolate music on their website.

some great menswear from dubuc out of montreal. especially liked the tweed long overcoat.

and these fun bikes that seemed to fit in so naturally in the front window display.

if you haven't yet been there, or if you're visiting from out of town, you have to visit this little gem of a store. makes one proud to have in town.

lost

i got lost in this vortex last night. which led me here ( i think i've been there before) and then here. for some reason there was this domino effect and i finally got a little perspective. now i'm back.

at the cape

the lovely, artistic amazing people at cape-arcona are offering this special 3 font package for free download. i'm loving the numbers on the dater one.

bay area furniture art show

interesting flickr set from design public on the bay area furniture art show at the blue room gallery in san francisco. i especially like the california loveseat made out of a combination of laminated wood, bondo, aluminum and the best part - automotive lacquer. seeing innovations like this is what makes me dig the internet so much. thanks design public.

moma's new photography show

after a 7 year hiatus due to it's redesign, ny's moma is exhibiting their 'new photography" show. an exhibit which the curator described as what she found "is compelling, fresh and less familiar." here's a mini slide show" to go with it.

an interesting observation by the ny times columnist philip gefter, as saying, "different curators are likely to arrive at different conclusions about what's going on in the medium at any particular moment in time. the photographers chosen for "new photography '05" certainly reflect something about the knowledge, judgment and taste of the museum's photography department. the question is whether they represent this moment in photography as well." i would love to see a flickr set on this if anyone has one, please let me know.

koziol

some fun things from this 'made in germany' company, koziol. like this fresh keeper. so fresh!

coco the crazy crumbless alligator cake knife.

this aroma espresso cup made of porcelain and plastic.

pit the paper towel stand/dog.

and this most attractive dude, daddy cool, the scouring pad holder.

available here.

shepard fairey + dj shadow

so it turns out the artist who did that "walk the line" stencil/poster i posted about is obey's shepard fairey, streetart pioneer. and i found his website via juxtapoz magazine. looks like fairey and djshadow have collaborated together to make a limited edition clothing and music box set. (see below image).



i also am digging this revolutionary women print. a new series of large format prints featuring four women of revolution which recently premiered at the mk gallery in los angeles. each print is a limited edition of 50, signed and numbered, at $400 each.



the box set was recently showcased at kid robot in l.a. where i found this groovy wallpaper to download.



and the obey website has some free stickers to download too - for your stenciling pleasure. please read this useful warning if you're at all considering using stencils in public. i think some of this stenciling could really work on a piece of wood for indoor art.

db clay

i'm liking these camera wallets from dbclay. they have a vast selection of the ducktape wallet style only using waterproof nylon.

slapshot

speaking of canada being back to normal yesterday i just happened to come across this slapshot tour, a hockey art show honouring the true characters of the greatest sport in the world hitting town near the end of the month. it looks like nate smith of vacuumsucks is part organizer/website designer/participating hockey artist. nontheless it looks like a good turn out of artists with some fun art with proceeds going to battered women support services. my favorite so far is "clean sweep", by robert mars.

back to normal canada

after all the strikes from the nhl to cbc tv, canada is almost back to normal.

vacuumsucks is a design house out of nelson, b.c. (interior of british columbia) with a hockey themed crazy canuck website which ipitomizes the norm of canadian mentality. go buy yourself a cbc t-shirt and a remote zamboni to celebrate!

vintage sports posters

i'm seriously in love with vintage sports images lately. i've been on a constant hunt looking and bookmarking as i go. found some seriously fun ones at hawaiian days featuring some surfing treasures (don't you just love bathing caps?). and the labels are a great reference as well. and some boxing images of long ago to add to the mix.

art for the oceans

taking place saturday, october 15th, 2005 at milk studios in new york city, the art for the oceans gala boasts a silent auction and a special live auction. 38 unique artists, including alex kopps (above) and david carson (below), were commissioned to artistically enhance surfboards that will be exhibited at the event, and available for auction.  net proceeds from the auction will provide unrestricted funding to support surfrider foundation’s mission-related programs and activities.



the surfrider foundation is a grassroots, non-profit, environmental organization that works to protect our oceans, waves, and beaches.

new collectibles slide show

new collectibles slide show featuring this cool keepsake oka doner designed signature bowl, a guest book that glistens, complete with its own silver diamond-point scribe. from nytimes.

local living issue

i like that you can download a pdf of this local paper's living issues. featuring the ceramics of laura mckibbon of culdesac designs (see below):



the idea of renting art from the vag is interesting; as is what a half million will buy you here.

and a nice little afternoon diversion (thanks alex!).